


We're Not in Kansas, Anymore

by Writer_Geekgirl



Series: Castiel and Dean: An Apocalyptic Love Story [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, M/M, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 01:28:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20857967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Geekgirl/pseuds/Writer_Geekgirl
Summary: In 2007, Dean and Sam travel through a stone circle to an apocalyptic world where they meet a man named Castiel and his dog.This work is part of a Destiel Promptober 2019 prompt series. The stories are inspired by two different word prompts each day but the short vignettes will all tie in together and weave a larger story. Each story will be standalone (for the most part).The prompts for the day are: Rings and Autumn





	We're Not in Kansas, Anymore

Dean Winchester pulled the Impala to a stop near a grove of trees. He looked over at his brother Sam, who sat in the passenger seat looking up information on his tablet.

Dean asked, "Is this the place?" The trees were just beginning to change colors -- a shimmer of gold and brown shined through the green growth. Autumn had arrived in Hallowell, Maine.

"Yeah," Sam responded. "The ring of stones is at top of the hill. We'll need to walk the rest of the way."

Dean turned the car off. "Refresh my memory again?"

"Every ten years around this time, people go missing around the stone circle. Usually, three a year, right around the time the Fall Equinox."

Dean huffed, "It could be fairies."

Sam shrugged, "Maybe. There's never been any real evidence found of why. No remains. Nothing. It's just three people disappearing. So far this year, one has gone missing. One Sandra Carlson. She's a teacher who was walking her dog in the woods. The dog came back, but she didn't."

Dean shrugged, "Well, we won't figure it out sitting here." Dean got out of the car and went to the trunk. He looked at the weapons with a frown, trying to decide which ones to carry. He finally settled on one gun with witch-killing bullets, another with silver bullets, and a machete. Sam followed suit, adding his demon knife to the mix.

They walked up the hill silently, in tandem. As they approached the stone circle, Dean gestured Sam to go to his right. A loud whistling noise reverberated between the stones as they approached. Dean asked, "Do you hear that, Sam?"

Sam's brow furrowed, "Hear what, Dean?"

An orange, shimmering energy started to glow within the stones. Dean cautiously approached it. "What do you think this is, Sam?"

Sam replied, "See what? Dean, maybe you should come outside the circle." Dean reached towards the energy, and Sam pulled him back. "We should do more research, Dean. If you are seeing and hearing things I'm not, I don't think this is safe. We can go back to the lore…"

"Sandra could be dead by then. Others could be dead," Dean protested.

As he reached forward again, Sam grabbed his arm. They were enveloped in glowing energy -- a high-piercing sound wailed about them and wind flew over them. They both felt like they were being buffeted by hurricane winds. Then suddenly it stopped. 

Sam looked around cautiously. The trees that were just beginning to show the signs of autumn were now in fully bursting with the golden hues of fall.

Dean looked around startled, "What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know, Dean. But this doesn't look right. I can't see the lights of the town. Everything is so quiet."

"Let's get back to the Impala," Dean started striding down the hill. Sam followed closely on his heels. When they got to the place the Impala had been parked, there was nothing there but tall grasses. The road was gone. Dean growled, "Son of a bitch."

When they heard a rustling noise, both of them melding into the bushes. A dark-haired man in a trench coat with a rangy German Sheppard approached. The dog started to growl softly.

A hoarse voice said, "Who's there?" The man pulled out a gun and looked at the bushes warily.

Dean stood up with his hands held up in a non-threatening way. "It's just me and my brother. I'm Dean and he's Sam. Winchester."

Blue piercing eyes stared at Dean. "Where did you come from?"

Sam stood up, "From the stones. Do you know anything about them?"

The man sighed, "My name is Castiel. What year are you from?"

Dean looked at him blankly and said questioningly, "Year?"

Castiel sighed, "Every year some hapless travelers come through those stones from either the past or the present. Sometimes they try to return through them. Other times they venture forth in this world. Are you from my past or my future?"

Sam replied, "September 2007."

"I figured the early 2000's based on your clothes. It's 2057 now."

Dean protested, "Where's my car? I left it right here."

Castiel corrected him, "You left it right here 50 years ago. There used to be a road here too. Time and the wild have reclaimed both of them."

Sam frowned, "Are you from here?"

Castiel shrugged, "More or less. I woke up here. I'm not sure how I came to be here. I don't remember my life before twenty-four years ago. I woke up near the stones. I might be from the past or I might be from the future. I don't know. All I know is I woke up here on November 2, 2033."

"So, you might have come through the stones?" Dean stared at him intently. 

"That would be a good assumption," Castiel replied. "However, I can't tell you."

"You were a kid?" Sam asked.

Castiel huffed a small laugh, "I was pretty much the same age as I am now. I can't explain it. I just am. I have to say that you are remarkably less freaked out than anyone else I've encountered here."

"Weird things is the story of our life. We're hunters," Dean answered. "Other people run away from weird. We run towards it. Werewolves, vampires, ghouls, witches, all of it is true. We hunt things, save people. It's the family business."

Castiel looked at him warily, "So anything that isn't human, you kill?" Castiel's dog moved uneasily against him, a soft growl sounded deep in its throat.

Sam said hurriedly, "Only to save people." He glared at Dean.

Castiel stared at Dean. Their eyes met and they stared at each other for several minutes. Sam finally cleared his throat. 

Castiel stared between the pair. "Come to my house. I'll feed you and put you up for the night. You can decide what you want to do tomorrow. It's getting late, and you do not want to be out after it gets too dark." He headed up where the road used to be quickly.

Dean and Sam scrambled after him. Dean grumbled, "We usually can take care of things that go bump in the night."

Castiel replied, "There's a lot of things that go bump in the night and only one of you."

Sam looked at the dog, "What's your dog's name?"

Castiel shook his head. "It's not that creative. His name is Dog." The dog wagged his tail when he heard his name. "I found him when he was a puppy. He almost became lunch for a pack of zombies. I saved him. He decided to stay with me."

Castiel led them through the ruins of the town to a small, but heavily fortified, house. After Castiel opened several locks, he ushered them into the house. "From the records, Hallowell was created in 1762. It's just short of being 300 hundred years old. It used to have about three thousand people in it. Now, I'm its sole occupant. Well, that is alive anyway." He lit a gas lantern. The house was tidy with threadbare furniture. It was eerily dark because all of the windows were boarded over.

"When we were here this morning, it was a bustling, little town. What happened?" Sam looked perplexed.

Castiel shrugged, "When I woke up here, it was like this. I can't remember anything about me, but I do know that there used to be cars, television, schools, playgrounds, and all those types of things in the world. Now, though, it's mostly me and zombies. A few other assorted things."

"Did anyone else that came through the portal ever try to stay with you?" Dean asked.

Castiel said, "I offered. But my people skills are 'rusty'. Most people have someone that they want to get back too. They try to go back through the stones, or they try to travel to another city. A few didn't take my advice about not going out after dark. That didn't end well for them."

"Don't you get lonely? Don't want someone around? Why don't you go look for people?" Dean leaned against a wall, crossed his arms, and stared at Castiel.

Castiel turned to start a fire in the fireplace. "I don't have anyone to look for. I don't remember anyone. I figured if someone ever wants to look for me, they'd look where I was lost at. Besides that, I've got Dog."

Dean snorted, "Dude, you are living in zombie land. Wouldn't it be better to find a place that's not that?"

Castiel turned and raised an eyebrow, "How do I know such a land even exists?"

"You didn't try to go through the stones?" Sam's brows furrowed again.

"I did. Every equinox and solstice. They don't make sounds for me. I can't go home; wherever home was. Don't worry about me. I'll get by. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go into the root cellar to get things for dinner." Castiel opened a door off the kitchen and disappeared.

Sam whispered to Dean, "What do you think?"

Dean huffed, "We aren't in Kansas anymore. I'm not sure I'm buying his story."

"What are we going to do?"

"Take turns sleeping and see what happens in the morning."

Sam squatted to the dog, who sniffed him before rolling over so Sam could pet its stomach. "I'm not sure we should stay here."

"We'll look at the stones again in the light of day and see if we can get home. If that doesn't work, we'll figure something out. We always do."

Sam nodded. "What do you think about him?"

"Cas? I don't know. He could be stashing bodies in the basement for all we know. I don't know what he is, but it ain't human. He seems… different. My gut tells me we can trust him. For the life of me, I don't know why. We'll just have to wait and see." Dean thought of Castiel's piercing blue eyes and shivered. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are interested in this series, please check out the following series:  
[Castiel and Dean: A Love Story (2017)](https://archiveofourown.org/series/838407)  
[Castiel and Dean: An AU Love Story (2018)](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1148636)  
[Castiel and Dean: A Roommate Love Story (2019)](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1321091)


End file.
